Orlando Fringe review: 'Be a Man'

Booze! Sex! Football! Shaving! What does it take to Be A Man? Canada's RibbitRePublic Theatre returns to Orlando (BoyGroove Best-of-Fest Winner 2005) with the American premiere of the smash-hit Be A Man - a series of powerful vignettes that explore every

Booze! Sex! Football! Shaving! What does it take to Be A Man? Canada's RibbitRePublic Theatre returns to Orlando (BoyGroove Best-of-Fest Winner 2005) with the American premiere of the smash-hit Be A Man - a series of powerful vignettes that explore every

Tod Caviness, Orlando Sentinel Entertainment Columnist

Men. Simple creatures, right? Not judging by this complex ride down the stream of the collective male consciousness. RibbitRepublic's Canadian foursome Lorenzo Damiani, Tyler Girard, Antony Hall and Corey Schmitt are in your face almost from the outset, introducing the show with a tightly-woven rap that outlines what it means to "Be a Man." From there, it's a frequently hilarious series of vignettes, from a slack-jawed diagnosis of car troubles to a litany of dating advice. ("Buy wine in bottles you can't read the labels of." "Don't fart.")

Very rarely are these cheap shots, though. "Be a Man" is funny because it's true, but there are some uncomfortable truths here. And – even though these actors are frequently playing neanderthals – they're skilled enough not to clout you over the head with those truths. In a breathless pace, the foursome morph from video game fighters to weightlifters to sperm trying to sweet-talk an egg until you're drowning in testosterone, then hit you with quieter moments that underscore just how hard it is for the modern man to truly keep it real. Like being a man, the play is not always easy, and a lot of things go unsaid – but this stellar cast makes sure you never ignore those silences.